Scales and Tales

I watched the last two episodes of MDZS today! Very fun, and an action-packed ride for most of it - particularly Episode 11, which might as well have been titled Everything Happens So Much. :D

The ending was so sweet, with meetings and partings both at once, plus the mystery of Lan Zhan's song finally revealed, with Wei Ying concluding, "A good name. I like it."

I feel the same, Wei Ying. :D


Now I desperately need to find some icons!

(Eventually, I will clean up my episode summary notes and unlock the entries for them, in case they're helpful to anyone else.)

Watched four more episodes of Modao Zushi yesterday! Seeing Lan Wangji be as blatantly obvious in his affections as he knows how to be - which is enough to throw Wei Wuxian off his stride, but never quite bring him to the conclusion he's hovering on - is delightful. I'm through the Yi City arc now.

Last night I started reading After I Married the Disabled War God As My Concubine, in part because the ludicrously long and detailed title made me giggle, and in part because it was pimped to me as "concubine is given to the prince as an insult," which is a trope I'm weak to. I'm about 20 chapters in so far; the translation is a little rough in places, and the writing often feels more 'tell' than 'show,' but there are enough fun moments and hints of future shippiness that I plan to continue.


ETA: I also began a Tiger & Bunny rewatch yesterday! I needed something to half-watch while baking lemon bread. :) Wasn't really intending to do a full rewatch, but now I think I might.

I think it's safe to say my energy and attention span for fandom things is coming back. :D

Finally I've started watching the animated Modao Zushi! I'm 12 episodes in, and mostly just trying to keep some rough notes on each episode at this point, but there have been a few moments of squee already: the first time Wei Wuxian calls Lan Wangji "Lan Zhan," and the first time Lan Wangji calls Wei Wuxian "Wei Ying" have definitely already happened, to my delight!

The ribbon scenes - at the contest and in the cave - are exactly what I came here for; I'm weak to cross-cultural mistranslations, so Wei Wuxian touching the ribbon and not knowing why he shouldn't is perfection. Putting your disrespectful hands all over Lan Wangji's person sacred ribbon and not having a clue why he acts like you spat on his mother's grave? Good job, Wei Wuxian, that's a gold-star diplomatic fail right there.

All the scenery is gorgeous; I'd buy paintings of some of the scenes we get introducing various locations! ♥

Madam Yu, while failing every ethical priciple I'd want a character to hold, nonetheless drew some admiration out of me at key moments: her reaction to Wang Lingjiao's intent to place a Supervisory Office in Lotus Pier, facing down Wen Zhuliu, hugging Jiang Cheng before sending him off. Too bad you couldn't be more of that and less of, well, everything else, Yu-furen! You'd be much higher up my list of faves.

Lan Wangji facing down his 'grand-uncle' with isolationist advice in favour of resistance, and Lan Qiren backing him, was great: I love that Lan Qiren is clearly a canny politician, but also in some ways an idealist, or at least lets his rigidity of principle work for instead of against the greater good. "Our first duty to our ancestors is to keep an extra-low low profile and rebuild" vs. "it's clear that everyone will suffer, and someone has to lead or we'll all be downtrodden further" seems like it could be a very concise summation of the two Cloud Recesses lines of thought: strict adherence to filial piety and internal cohesion, versus strict adherence to justice and societal cohesion.

Wish me luck in ploughing through the rest of the show! I won't be able to maintain a 12-episodes-per-day schedule (as the internet would say: why is work?!) but I hope to knock out several more episodes by the end of next weekend. :D